hello from the middle ages - the oops

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i meant to post this last week, then promptly let life get in the way of things. our last medieval studies class did not go as well at the previous had. what happened? i forgot that i am the world's most dreadful baker, so attempted to make bread dough. but i am getting ahead of myself. here is what we did:

the kids watched the documentary clarissa & the king's cookbook, to which i linked here. they then gathered in the kitchen, excited that they would get to bake rose petal bread. imagine their surprise to find that they could not, because the dough had not risen even a smidge. sigh.

tinker saved the day, by suggesting they deep-fry little bits of the dough. excitement returned, & the kids spent the next hour rolling little balls of dough in sugar, & cooking them in hot oil. they were not the most delicious things i have tasted, but they were not bad. when you bit into one, you encountered a faint rose aroma, then tasted a sugary fried bread. 

the recipe came from knights & castles. in case your library does not carry the book:

rose petal bread

1 package of active dry yeast

1.5 cups lukewarm rose water (i bought mine at an indian grocery)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3-4 cups flour

cornmeal and butter

food dye

1 egg white

to begin, make the rose water by simmering rose petals in a small amount of water. remove the petals.

in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the rose water. stir sugar, salt and some flour into the yeast. with clean hands, knead the dough. add more and more flour until it won't take anymore.

push the dough around on a floured board. when the dough becomes smooth and elastic, cover the bowl with a clean cloth and go play for an hour!

when you return, the dough will be bigger. punch down the dough, and divide in half. form each half into a circle, oval, heart or long loaf. place the loaves on separate buttered baking sheets that are sprinkled with cornmeal. 

next comes the art part. mix a food color with a little bit of egg white to make "paint." paint vines, leaves, flowers or any other art on the top of the loaves. 

bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes at 400ºf.

~peace.

thursday things - vintage kitcheny stuff

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photo :: property of beatrice in blue

on  my mind quite a bit these days are kitcheny things, specifically those of a vintage bent. as my things get broken, & for some reason things are breaking at top speed of late, i find myself scouring thrift shops for replacements. it would be much easier to buy new items, of course, but easy isn't always best. 

i could say that i buy used because i am making a conscious choice to live a more green life, one in tune with mother nature. i could say that, but i would be lying to you. the truth of the matter is that i am utterly head-over-heels in love with old stuff, & that's why i buy vintage. the green-living/mother nature part is a bonus; one for which i am thankful. it balances the fact that i am also in love with hair dye.

so back to thoughts of kitcheny things. last week i was on the hunt for mixing bowls. do you remember the fabulous sunbeam bowl from earlier this summer? well, i found another! this one is identical to the first, also in perfect condition, only smaller. i had been hoping to find large mixing bowls, but there weren't any to be found.

because i cannot go thrifting every single day (though to hear manlyman tell it, i do) i have been poking through etsy's vintage section. such gorgeous vintagey treasures! i thought i would share some with you.

* teensy molds - (pictured above) i actually have a stack of these! some in that shape, others with more rounded bottoms. she has them priced quite well, if you're in the market for a set.

* child's oven - i. want. this. as i haven't that much money to spend on frivolity any room at thebelfry for it, i shall leave the sweet oven for someone else.

* cake carrier - how sweet! i don't think i've ever seen one like this. i adore the wooden acorn knob on the lid.

* egg beater - a must-have in any kitchen. well, in mine, for sure. i have a gorgeous vintage beater that we use almost daily. i've yet to meet a person who doesn't love cranking the handle of an old fashioned egg beater. even elfling loves to beat eggs, though he needs to use both hands to crank the handle, & it takes forever ;)

* mixing bowl - gorgeous! i bet if i had one of these my baking would improve. that's how it works, in case you didn't know.

* refrigerator ware - i love, love, love these! ok, not so much the color, but the containers themselves are simply perfect. it is rare to find these in thrift shops (where i live), & even more rare to find a set. with lids! i store blocks of cream cheese in my lone dinky container. 

sigh. there is so much more to share with you, but elfling disagrees. i am off to snuggle. happy shopping!

~peace.

sunflowers in the dark

my apologies for this terrible photo - the sun had already set when i was baking. i knew the cookies wouldn't last till morning, so had to take the photo then.

i was looking for a gluten-free peanut butter cookie, & found this recipe doing a google search. i changed it a bit, & they were simply divine.

sunflower seed butter cookies

1c sunflower seed butter (i get mine at "trader joe's")

3/4c evaporated cane juice (sugar that hasn't been bleached)

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

***

preheat the oven to 350, & grease your cookie sheet.

beat the egg, add the rest of the ingredients, & stir to combine.

with hands slightly damp: roll wanut-sized balls, & place them on your cookie sheet.

flatten each cookie with the back of a fork that has been dipped in sugar.

bake for 12 minutes.

gently loosen the bottom of each cookie from the sheet, & let them sit to cool.

notes :: they will be mushy until they cool, so try to stop yourself from eating more than 1 when they are first out of the oven. store them in a covered container in the fridge. if you don't eat them all at once, of course ;-)

enjoy! i plan to try these with dried cranberries; sort of a strange pb&j. i'm also going to try them with an egg replacer, to see if they can be made vegan. i'll let you know.

~peace

i baked!

let me rephrase that: i baked, & none had to gag it down! i've spoken about this before, i'm sure. i cannot bake. i can destroy even a boxed mix. i am not a baker.

last night i was desperate for a sweet treat, & couldn't convince manlyman to get in the car in search of baked goodies for me. apparently spending the entire day pampering me wore him out. selfish beast.

my desperation was such that i actually scoured the internet for something simple to bake. oh, & for which we had ingredients. i found one that looked easy enough. i decided to make a few substitutions, & gave it a go! it not only did not gag, it was amazing! here is my version:

cinnamon dessert bread

1/4c butter

1 1/3c sugar, divided

1 egg

2c all-purpose flour

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

1c vanilla soy creamer

2tsp apple cider vinegar

1tb cinnamon

* preheat oven to 350

* add vinegar to soy cream, & set aside

* beat butter, 1c sugar, & egg

* combine flour, soda, powder, & salt

* add flour mixture, alternatively with curdled milk, to butter mixture

* combine cinnamon & remaining sugar

* pour half the batter into a greased loaf pan, sprinkle half the sugar mixture atop it, then the remaining batter, & finally the remaining sugar mixture

* bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean
(note - i use evaporated cane juice, not white sugar - i cannot vouch for the flavor using white.)

it was very rich; most likely due to using soy creamer rather than soy milk; so tasted more like a dessert than the breakfasty bread i'm sure it was meant to be. i am definitely going to make this again! oh - something is wonky with my laptop, so i was unable to link to the original recipe for you. i did link you to the site though.

i'm off to eat a gigantic slice.
~peace.

simply lovely

yesterday was a lovely, relaxing day. i helped thehobbit bake blueberry scones! other than being completely purple, & a tad dry, they were pretty good. i have to tell you that i'm not a baker. that is to say that i have absolutely no gift for baking. in the least. seriously. i am thrilled that thehobbit is interested in learning to bake, & i only can hope that my inability isn't contagious.

(this is my new imaginary stove)

countdown, day 9: today we shall dress in our fancies, & have a tea party!
review: the scones came in handy! i set thehobbit's little table with plates of scones & jam, & a dinky pot of blackberry tea. he wore his dress shirt, invisibility cloak, & a fake dalmation fur wrap. i sat down with him wearing my victorian hat, & was promtly told i was not fancy enough. i put a floor-length slip over my jeans, & tossed a sparkley shawl around my shoulders, then was allowed to tea.

no rest for the wicked. we have errands to run, the farm needs tending, & i must hand over a fortune at the library so they'll allow me to put books on hold again.

have a lovely day!
~peace.

**update: you can see a few pics from the winter faire on paper's site; upper, right corner!**

yo ho, yo ho...

a pirate's life for me. that's the song going round & round my head this morn. yours now too i imagine - you're welcome!

the maiden voyage of kats in the belfry was a success! even without someone of import smashing a bottle of champagne over my whatever part of the ship it is they smash champagne over. also a success was the launch of the cooperative - yay dragonfly artisans!


that's the nearly completed banner. i simply ran out of time. eventually it will have two more dragonflies above the writing. one shall be smaller, the other even more so - to appear as though they're flying into the spiral. i plan on becoming filthy rich, so i can have the talented pom paint all my future banners.

so the day!?! it was such great fun! attendance was lower than usual; i think the threat of rain kept the boring people at home. no rain did ever so much as threaten us. the sky was clear & sunny, the people just lovely, the venue a beautiful winter faeryland, & the food! mmmm. i had yummy baked treats, & a huge bowl of fantastic vegan potato soup.

sales were steady through the day, which makes me giggle with delight! thank you to all who purchased my wares! i cannot begin to describe how it felt to see that i wasn't sewing merely to clutter my home.

thank you to manlyman for believing in me, & for helping where you could - to my parnters in crime, paper & soap, for going on this adventure with me - to the academy for finally giving me an oscar - & most of all to my sweet, sweet hobbit.... thank you for being so patient, & so helpful whilst mama was going mad these past few weeks!

now what you ask? as a matter of fact i do have plans... this week i hope to get my etsy shop open. i'll post the grand opening as soon as... well as soon as i'm grandly open!

countdown, day 7: today we will read holiday books, & drink hot cocoa!
review: thehobbit asked to do this immediately! it was breakie theatre heehee. he asked me to read this, this, & requested i sing this one. our copy of the latter is not a board book; it looks like it's no longer being sold as a little golden book.

countdown, day 8: today you may spend $5 at the winter faire on anything you like!
review: he never found anything he liked! auntiepaper took all the minis on a shopping adventure, yet he came home treasureless. he did enjoy carrying a fiver about in his pocket all day. heehee.

ok my one & only reader... i'm beat. worn to a frazzle, & in need of vast quantities of coffee. plus a nap. & a day of doing nothing. which we both know shall not take place, as it's sunday. what is sunday? did you also forget? it's baking day mama! whimper. nap day? think i can convince a 9yo of that weekly event in lieu of baking messy goodness? no? i thought not.

i'm off to get ready to go to the market. if we're to bake, we shall definitely need yeast. & eggs. & butter. & booze. it's sunday... go bake something too!
~peace.

i'm dreaming...

of a newwww camera... err whiiiiite christmas. that's the song that's going through my head right now. there is a radio station here that plays non-stop christmas songs from thanksgiving, to christmas - & as every year, thehobbit is obsessed with it. i truly would like a new camera though. one that zooms, takes clear photos, & doesn't make all indoor shots appear as though they were taken in a cave. a white christmas would be lovely too. but as we live in southern california, i shan't hold my breath on that dream.

elive is behaving nicely this morn. here are the latest drink slings


the brightly-colored one is a bit of fabric left from the market bags we made for the roots & shoots peace day. those sold out quickly, so hopefully there is some peace day mojo attached to the fabric.

a closer peek

the grosgrain inside the lip was an idea i had after i'd already made the first bunch. it makes getting your drink bottle in easier. i use the same color on all of them, as i do with the thread. i'm running low, so i shall have to go back (oh how sad) to the amazing ribbon store for more.

countdown, day 2: today is the day we'll bake bread & eat it! yum!

review: fun! i didn't plan very well, & found that my yeast had long since expired. did that stop us? nope...we made quick bread instead. i found some yummy scone recipes, but thehobbit chose raisin-cinnamon bread (yuck.) he & manlyman said it was delicious. thehobbit asked if every sunday can be baking day. i think that is a lovely idea.

i'd like to revamp manlyman's grandma ruby's banana bread recipe. it is so delicious, but we don't use crisco... i'm sure that is what made it taste so good. any ideas how to substitute? i am a wretched baker, so dare not try to figure that out on my own.

i just looked up to see what thehobbit was doing, & found him playing with a jar of shells. how wonderful that at 9 he still loves the simple things! i love it! my sweet little boy. arrrgh! that was a too-brief moment of quiet mama-bliss. he just asked for the laptop, so he could google how creatures poop if they live in sea shells. *deep sigh*

& on that note...

~peace.